Inspection of electrical characteristics of an electronic circuit, such as an IC or an LSI, formed on, for example, a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter, referred to as a wafer) are performed by using a probe card mounted on a probe device.
For example, as shown in FIG. 10, a probe card 100 includes a support plate 102 that is called a contactor or a guide plate for supporting a plurality of needle-shaped probes 101, and a printed wiring board 103 electrically connected to the support plate 102. The support plate 102 has a bottom surface, on which front end contact portions of the probes 101 protrude, facing a wafer W, and the printed wiring board 103 is disposed at a top surface side of the support plate 102.
A correcting member 104 for correcting the degree of flatness of the support plate 102 is formed at a top surface side of the printed wiring board 103. Fixing mechanisms 105 for integrally connecting the support plate 102, the printed wiring board 103, and the correcting member 104 are fixed to a lower surface of an outer peripheral portion of the correcting member 104. Leaf springs 106 for holding a lower surface of an outer peripheral portion of the support plate 102 and pressing the support plate 102 to the printed wiring board 103 are fixed to lower end surfaces of the fixing mechanisms 105.
Inspection of electrical characteristics of a device on the wafer W is performed by bringing the front end contact portions of the plurality of probes 101 into contact with electrodes of an electronic circuit of the device and applying an electrical inspection signal to a corresponding electrode from each of the plurality of probes 101 through the printed wiring board 103, as disclosed in Patent Document 1 (Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2006-10629).